Expect the Unexpected–Serendipities and Lagniappe
Those of you following my blog know I’m spending some time this summer at one of my favorite places, Chautauqua Institution in Western New York. Chautauqua is unique in many ways. The grounds are both historic and lovely, the lake it sits on is picture perfect. And in addition to the usual summertime pursuits, Chautauqua…
Read MoreLetting Go–the fine art of recharging your personal batteries
Right this moment are you 1) Frantically trying to do at least two things at once? (And yes, yelling at the children or the dog does count as one.) 2) Leisurely planning a leisurely day? 3) Wondering who those lazy people who said yes to #2 think they are? 4) Trying to remember the meaning of…
Read MoreThe Kindness of Strangers
My husband is about to go on sabbatical. This is one of the perks of his profession, a chance to study and think for months every so many years. He’s done some wonderful things; we’ve done some wonderful things together, but I’ve always written while we’ve been away. There are no sabbaticals for writers. We…
Read MoreIs Your Skills About to Expired: Spam and Free Verse
Waste not, want not. In this time of scarcity, anxiety and making do, I recently felt compelled to use something I have in abundance. I bet you have it, too. That’s right. Spam. And not the kind that comes from Hormel. Maybe I have too much time to think, or maybe some of the hilarious…
Read MoreConferences, Publishing, and MUCH shorter novels
So picture this. Two thousand conference goers, editor and agent get togethers, two house guests, parties, booksignings, workshops, business meetings, a particularly noisy hotel and writers I hadn’t seen in years. Add this up and you get . . . exhaustion! I just returned from the Romance Writers of America conference in Washington DC, and…
Read MoreHappiness Key: Alice’s Story, Part Three
Today marks the end of both Alice’s story and all the character blogs for the women of Happiness Key. Thanks so much to all of you who let me know you’ve looked forward to them. Remember, if you’re tantalized by these sneak peeks, my publisher is offering a coupon good until the end of July. Not…
Read MoreHappiness Key: Alice’s Story, Part Two
New to my blog? We’re exploring the backgrounds of the characters in my latest novel, Happiness Key. If you go here, you’ll find a list of all the blogs in this series, beginning with Tracy, then moving on to Janya and Wanda. This is part two of Alice’s story, which began on Monday. Alice is…
Read MoreHappiness Key: Alice’s Story, Part One
When Happiness Key was still just an idea, I had a fantasy about writing the novel completely in first person, using the viewpoints of all four major characters. I love first person, use it exclusively in my mystery series, and would love to use it in my other novels. But once I started the character sketches…
Read MoreHappiness Key: Wanda’s Story, Part Three
This week we’ve been peeking into Wanda’s background. Wanda is one of the four women of Happiness Key, and she’s a character in more ways than one. In the end, any day I had to write a scene from Wanda’s point of view was a good day. It still is, since she appears in Fortunate Harbor, the…
Read MoreHappiness Key: Wanda’s Story, Part Two
Welcome to the second peek at Wanda, one of the four women of Happiness Key, my latest novel from Mira Books. Wanda was the character I thought I’d have the most trouble writing about. Each woman in the story is very different, and I suspected Wanda might be hardest to get to know. But that…
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